It feels as if the postseason has already started. Unlike previous seasons, there 2023 season has no clear-cut favorites or dominant team that have locked up home-field advantage. Every contending team will be desperate for a win when they lace up their cleats this weekend. The weekend will be headlined by America’s team visit to Orchard Park to play the Buffalo Bills. The Cowboy divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, will take a dangerous trek across the country to play the Seattle Seahawks in a raucous Lumen Field. With college football heading into Bowl season, fans will be treated to 3 Saturday Football matchups involving teams in the playoff hunt. Sweet! In this article, we preview the five hottest matchups of week 15.
Last week: 4-1
Overall: 44-26
1. Minnesota Vikings (7-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-6)-Saturday, 1 p.m. ET NFL Network
The number one lesson from this NFL season is never to condemn a team to a losing season. Both teams struggled earlier in the season, and some felt they were out of the playoff race. The Bengals were supposed to fall into the abyss after losing Joe Burrow to a season-ending injury. Jake Browning has stepped in, and the team has won back-to-back games to stay in the playoff race. On the other hand, the Vikings are still searching for a backup quarterback that efficiently operates their offense. Josh Dobbs felt like the answer for the team after leading the team to consecutive wins after getting traded to the team. Dobbs and the Vikings lost the next two games, with the quarterback struggling with two touchdowns and six interceptions. Last week, Vikings coach Kevin Oconnell turned to Nick Mullen in relief of Dobbs and barely won by a baseball score of 3-0. I trust Browning at home to outplay the quarterback on the opposing sideline and the Bengals to win.
Bengals 23-Vikings 14
2. Denver Broncos (7-6) at Detroit Lions (9-4)-Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET NFL Network
The Denver Broncos will be angry at the schedule makers because they will play on the road for the third straight week. The team lost the first matchup in a tight contest with the Texans but rebounded last week by trouncing the Los Angeles Chargers. On the other hand, the Lions are going through a lean period in the schedule after losing back-to-back games to their divisional rivals, the Packers, and Bears. However, I think they will stop the slide on Saturday because they will be able to exploit the Broncos 32nd ranked run defense which has given up 144 rush yards per game. The 1-2 punch of Jahymr Gibbs and David Montgomery will be able to dominate the matchup. It will be a close game, but I have the Lions rebounding at home, where they play better.
Lions 27-Broncos 23
3. Dallas Cowboys (10-3) at Buffalo Bills (7-6)-Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET Fox
This will be the game of the week. Last week, the Bills stayed alive by beating the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. Josh Allen appears to be loving life under new Offensive Coordinator, Joe Brady, who operates a fluid motion offense and quarterback runs to score in the red zone. The Bills face a confident Cowboys team after pummeling the Eagles on home turf to hold the edge in the division. I think this is the game Dak Prescott makes his case for MVP because I feel he can take advantage of his weapons and win a high-scoring shootout in a hostile environment.
Cowboys 30-Bills 27
4. Baltimore Ravens (10-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)-Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET NBC
Trevor Lawrence is back! Those will be the four words celebrated in Duval County after back-to-back losses for the home team. The return of the former number overall pick should spark a team struggling defensively, and they will play well under the lights of Sunday Night Football. However, I can’t see the Ravens losing this game. Lamar Jackson is starting to attack defenses in the passing game, and last week’s victory over the Rams with a game-winning drive indicates that Jackson is becoming a complete quarterback. My only concern for the Ravens is that they fail to put away teams, and their good defense has struggled recently. Nonetheless, I trust that unit to rebound over Jacksonville’s defense and force a turnover late in a thriller.
Ravens 31-Jaguars 30
5. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) at Seattle Seahawks (6-7)-Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET ABC
The rut must stop here for one of these teams. The Seahawks are currently on a four-game losing streak, while the Eagles have been demolished in back-to-back games. After losing a shootout in week 13 against the Cowboys, the Seahawks failed to challenge the 49ers last week without Geno Smith. Geno returns this week, and it will make life difficult for an Eagles defense that looked gas in Dallas after being on the field for a lop-sided margin. However, I can’t imagine the Eagles losing this game because Jalen Hurts will be desperate to play well, and I think his connection with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. I think the Eagles squeak by in a high-scoring win.
Eagles 33-Seahawks 27